


Well. There Goes My Honor

by A_Marlene_S



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Avatar Zuko (Avatar), Avatar!Zuko, Dry Humor, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Some Airbenders Live, Some angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:22:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22581712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Marlene_S/pseuds/A_Marlene_S
Summary: The last time the Avatar was last heard of, was when the Fire Nation had announced that the Air Nomads had taking hostage the young Avatar and in retaliation, the Fire Lord caused a mass genocide and hasn’t stopped since. A hundred years later, the Avatar returns with a vastly different story. “Fire Lord Sozin told me that I lost all my honor since I refused to help him with his plans… and saving several Air Nomads in the process.”Luckily for Zuko, he was found by a blind earthbender and what appears to be a descendant of an old friend of his that used to be an airbender.
Relationships: Aang/Toph Beifong, Haru/Katara (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 122





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> D/C: I own nothing.

The Hundred Year war, or as most people call it the War or the Great War began during the infamous genocide of the Air Nomads. The Fire Nation, with then Fire Lord Sozin wanted to expand his nation, ‘share’ the prosperity the Fire Nation has to offer. Approaching the Avatar with his plans as the Avatar of the time is a child of the Fire Nation.

Unluckily for Sozin, the Avatar was a fifteen-year-old Fire Nation native by the name of Zuko that did his best to put a stop to Sozin’s plans of mass genocide. In doing so, it resulted with his disappearance or highly possible death. No one has seen or heard of him. There has been no new Avatar as it is believed the cycle of the Avatar has been broken since the genocide of the Air Nomads.

Well… that was until an earthbender and an airbender decided to go out and explore a cave looking for badger moles.

-.-

Aang knew he would get in so much trouble if he ever gets caught using airbending. Especially if he gets caught by the Fire Nation. If he ever gets caught, not only did it spell trouble for him, but also for all the other Air Nomads that managed to survive through this long war. But if he had to stay cooped up in his home for another day, he’ll go crazy.

Staring at his reflection from a barrel filled of water to put on a headband to push back his dark brown hair that always seemed to fall over his eyes. Wearing a loose light green tunic with orange hemlines, with matching harem style pants that tied around his calve and a pair of dark green sandals. From what he understands, this is a very far cry from what the Air Nomads used to wear but it’s necessary in order to blend. Far as the whole world is concerned, the Air Nomads went extinct because of the Fire Nation. Unknown to a very limited few, some of the Air Nomads managed to survive the genocide and from of those survivors, a limited few had decided to have children even during this time of unrest for them.

Aang has been taught from the moment it was found out he’s an airbender that he needed to hide who and what he is. Being taught the ways of the old Are Nomads to ensure nothing is forgotten, but to never show for it. That was until he made a friend one day.

“Hurry up, Twinkle Toes! I want to find baby badger moles today!”

-.-

Toph knew the old geezers that are overseeing Aang’s training don’t trust her. It’s not that hard to tell, but she can’t really blame them. There’s always a chance that the guards that constantly hound her whenever they assume, she got kidnapped or somehow got lost. Idiots really, but she always made sure to not get followed to the small settlement just outside of Goaling. That would bring in attention to the people that live there and that’s the last thing they wanted.

However… this doesn’t stop her from just barging in and dragging Aang off to some random adventure.

In today’s adventure… looking for baby badger moles.

“Here we are!” Toph exclaimed as she and Aang stood in front of a giant rock formation.

“This is it?” Aang questioned. He looked over at Toph, just in time to see her raise her arm and punch him. “Ow!”

“Don’t question me, Twinkle Toes.” Toph huffed out. She pointed at the rock formation with a wide grin. “People think this is inactive volcano that exploded hundred years ago. But this isn’t an inactive volcano… it’s something else.

“Wait, we’re not looking for baby badger moles?”

“No. We are going to figure out what happened here!”

-.-

_“Don’t look back! Just keep running! Long as there are still Airbenders, there’s still a chance for the chain to continue. RUN!”_

_Young Avatar Zuko stood his ground alongside of his companion, a young dragon by the name of Fang, defending a group of Airbenders that managed to escape the attack in the Southern Air Temple. They made plans to head out east in hopes to find safety and possibly warn others of the Fire Nations plans._

_But it appeared they were hunted down and now Zuko and Fang are doing their best to protect the Air Nomads from the From Nation soldiers. All he really need to do is stall for time just long enough for the group to run away and have the soldiers lose their trail just long enough. That’s all he needed to do._

_The last thing Zuko remembered before his mind going blank is the searing pain across his face and the roar of rage from Fang._

-.-

“There’s something in there!”

“What is it?”

“A human and… a giant lizard? Whatever they are, I could sense their heartbeats.”

“Can we help them?”

“Stand back, last thing I need is accidentally killing you in the process of getting whoever is there, unstuck.”

“I’ll be… over there!”

Aang and Toph had explored the weird rock formation. Toph created a network of caves when she felt something at the center of the formation. Something weird, especially for a rock formation that was resulted of a previously erupted volcano. Aang’s eyes widened when Toph earthbended a certain spot when a large burst of light enveloped them and out towards the cave Toph created to them at the center of the formation.

Aang had to cover his eyes to protect his eyes and only uncovered them when Toph yelled at him to help her out. Putting down his arms slowly just in time to see Toph reaching towards an opening and pulled out a hand. “What the! Are they alive?”

“He’s alive… I think.” 

-.-

_“He okay?”_

‘Wha…’

_“How am I supposed to know?”_

‘Everything hurts’

_“Just asking… it looks like he got severely burned across his left eye.”_

‘Is Fang safe?’

_“He’s awake.”_

‘I’m going to die…’

Zuko hissed out in pain as he reached up to touch his face. Letting out a louder his when he touched the top left portion of his face. He slowly opened his eyes, before closing them again. It’s too bright and unable to fully open his left eye.

“He’s hurt!”

“Where?”

“Across his left eye and at the back of his ear. Looks like someone… burned him. What happened to him?”

Zuko could feel someone pull him at him, dragging him out of somewhere. They were at least careful with his head, the pain is unbearable, but he knew he needed to figure out what is going on. His last memory is him fighting off fire nation soldiers that wanted him dead and kill his friends. Forcefully opening his eyes to see whoever was dragging him, gritting back the pain, Zuko saw someone that made his heart drop.

“G-Gyatso?” Zuko couldn’t help himself as his jaw dropped at the sight of the kid that’s dragging him towards who knows where.

“How do you know my grandfather’s name?” Aang nearly dropped the unknown teen. Panic when he heard a loud grumble coming from where he and Toph managed to pull the unknown teen out of. Aang looked over at Toph to see her also looking panicked. “Didn’t you mention something about a giant lizard?”

“Remember when I said that I’m hardly wrong? Let’s hope right now, I’m wrong.” Toph began to panic as she sensed something huge and highly terrifying from where they had pulled out the crazy kook.

“Dragon. Fang is a dragon.” Zuko corrected with a grumble.

“ _A dragon!_ ”

“He’s harmless.”

A red scaled dragon erupted from the spot where Toph and Aang had dragged Zuko out of, causing the two to panic. Aang looked down at Zuko and shouted. “You call that harmless!”

“…For the most part.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For reference, Zuko’s main outfit is the one he primarily uses in season 3. The only difference is that the sleeves are longer and has a head full of hair that is tied up in a ponytail.
> 
> I wanted to add more to this chapter, (it's been sitting around to a long while now) and decided I should end it here.

Zuko sat as still as he could as Aang’s mother wrapped bandages around his head. Apparently before he had entered the Avatar State, one of the soldiers managed to burn him. From what he was told, the burn just barely started to show signs of healing but still held a great risk of getting infected. Along with leaving a permanent scar. A constant reminder of what happened a hundred years ago…

Hundred years… Just the thought of it has Zuko’s mind reeling. His last few memories were helping several of his friends from getting killed from the Fire Nation… from people he once knew. The thought that his own nation decided to exterminate an entire nation makes him sick. But… he shouldn’t be surprised by it. ‘This is my fault…’

“Fire Lord Sozin somehow convinced the Fire Nation that you were kidnapped by the Air Nomads and in retaliation, caused a mass genocide.” Aang’s mother, Qiang, mentioned after she finished bandaging Zuko. “And now Fire Lord Ozai wants to control the entire world and rebuild it in his image.”

“…is this supposed to make me feel better?” Zuko couldn’t help but asked, feeling more downtrodden by the second.

“I am simply stating what has happened since your disappearance.” Qiang stated, placing her hands on her lap. “You saved several of us before your disappearance. One of them being my father… who I suspect you knew? Judging from what you called my son?”

“I knew him… I guess.” Zuko couldn’t help but sigh. He gave Qiang a bow of thanks before he stood up. Letting out a grunt of discomfort at how stiff his bones felt. He’s been asleep for more than a hundred years. In the Avatar state by the sounds of it judging by the giant burst of light Aang had told him when Toph broke him free from… well. From his earth prison as Toph would call it. Looking out one of the windows in the home to see Aang and Toph playing around with Fang, a red dragon that’s larger than a Komodo Dragon. “You haven’t told them who I am?”

“It’s not my place to say it to them.” Qiang replied, picking up the supplies she had used to help Zuko back into a basket. “All I need to know is if… you are planning on doing your duties as Avatar… Avatar Zuko.”

-.-

Zuko stared down at the Fire Nation uniform he was found in his pack that had managed to survive with him. After hearing what has happened in the last hundred years, he grew to resent the Fire Nation… his home. Did he even have a home anymore? Doubt it. Sozin made it a point that he has lost all his honor by not helping the then Fire Lord in increasing the power of the Fire Nation. Zuko knew that as the Avatar, that would bring disbalance. He wasn’t going to have that.

At that point, being fifteen, Zuko had only just barely started to learn to bend all four elements. He had started to learn at the age of thirteen after he accidently used waterbending for the first time. It was the beginning of the end for him. Thrusted out of his world into one he didn’t suspect would happen to him.

Zuko was the son of a tea maker and thespian, with a little sister. Nothing special really. Nothing out of the ordinary. Sure, his family weren’t rich by any means, but he was aware his parents sometimes struggled to feed himself, his sister and themselves. This has caused him wanting to join the army with the hopes to help his family.

Only problem was that… the army was looking for firebenders that had proficiency in said style of bending. Sure, he had some sort of understanding of the element, but never on par to everyone else. Mediocre at best, one of his teachers told him repeatedly. Even at Zuko’s best, it was always mediocre in everything he did to almost everyone.

So, when Zuko accidently bended water for the first time… only horror struck him. How can he, someone that is considered a mediocre firebender, be the Avatar?

No wonder Sozin took that moment to take him down and nearly annihilated the Air Nomads. An easy target.

Zuko shook his head. He needed to clear his mind and push it aside. He’ll think of his past at another time for now. Right now, he needs to think of the future. Whatever that is… One thing for sure, he needs to master all the elements and bring peace back to the world.

How he’s going to do that, Zuko still has no clue.

-.-

Zuko watched as Qiang unfurled a map that had many markings all over it and placed it on top of a table. He couldn’t help but let out a gulp at the sight of it. By the looks of it, she had updated the map according to updates she receives from the remaining Air Nomads, locations where the Fire Nation had taken over, and the other details. It all made him feel sick at the sight of it. This is nothing like how he once remembered the world… his world to be like.

“We are at a midpoint between the Foggy Swamp and Gao Ling…” Qiang started to name off locations, mainly places he should avoid, visit and… Zuko zoned her out as he thought it over.

What should he do?

Of course, it’s to bring back the balance back to the world.

How should he do it?

Well, he knows he has to start with learning all four elements. Something every Avatar have done before they set out into the world.

The issue?

…where does he start?

“Hey, Zuko! You busy?” Someone called out from outside of the hut, breaking Zuko out of his thoughts.

Zuko looked over his shoulder look over a window that is partially hidden with a worn-out curtain. The curtain was pulled back to reveal Aang, who is now wearing a… rather gaudy looking cloak. “What are you wearing?”

Did fashion change that much in the last hundred years?

“Toph gave it to my as a birthday present. Do you like it?” Aang asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He looked over Zuko to see his mom rolling up a bunch of scrolls up. Just trying to make herself look busy by the looks of it. Looking back at Zuko, he gave him a grin. “Anyway! Toph wants to take us to watch her fight. You in?”

“A fight? Toph fights?”

“Yeah! She’s an Earthbender. A Greatest Earthbending Master of all time!”


End file.
